Oklahoma Legislature Drug Bills on Us

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‘When asked why only TANF applicants should be tested as opposed to any individual receiving public funds, such as a business owner receiving state incentives to expand business, Liebmann questioned whether someone creating jobs should be subject to such a test.

“If he hired somebody or brought in five more jobs, should we drug test him? He’s done the state a favor, putting them on the payroll and they’re going to pay taxes and use the local shops and eat out and so forth,” Liebmann said.’ — Oklahoma Gazette News: Drug-testing for dollars, www.okgazette.com

The Oklahoma Legislature is considering a number of bills this session to require drug-testing for applicants to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

EIGHT of these bills we’ve got. They know it’s not constitutional. They know if it passes, it will go to court. We need to have a calm but serious talk with our senator because he introduced one of these things. I’m working on a letter. (In Teri time “working on” is equivalent to “probably going to think about starting to work on”)

They are literally and deliberately wasting our time and money, just so that people will have the opportunity to express their asshole opinions about welfare, drugs, race, and…Jesus, basically. They are giving people the opportunity to answer simple stupid questions like “Do you think it’s cool to spend food stamp money on weed?” with “Fuck yes I think we should pay $35 a piss to humiliate the fuck out of some poor people.”

They get a good base of angry judgy people, who are probably miserable themselves, and are happy to be offered a variety of actual people with faces to hate for it. That’s going to be there whether the legislation passes or not. And those people—I don’t think they’re going to vote for Obama. He’s the foodstamp president. They’re going to pick a guy like Ron Paul, who would let people die for being poor. Because fuck those stupid lazy assholes anyway.

They don’t care if it passes. This is a gesture. They don’t know what to actually do, I don’t think. I think they just learned how to campaign and suck up to rich people and never thought about what it would mean to do the actual job of serving the people. I don’t even think they are evil. I have more respect for the defnitely evil people who write these bills and pass them out to state legislators than I do for the legislators who actually shove this shit down the people’s throat. Think of how much actual work could get done if our leaders were not so busy with this bullshit. Think of how much work WE could get done if we weren’t under a steady stream of hateful, hurtful attacks from the people who are supposed to SERVE us.

What we need to do is get these fuckers the fuck out. And while they’re there, we need to make sure they hear from us every day.

Which is why I’m working on a letter.

I must take exception to a suggestion that the people introducing this legislation are concerned with drug use as a “healthcare issue.” A healthcare issue would require our officials to think about ways of providing healthcare for the people of Oklahoma, and that is not happening. And Randy Bass’ legislation stipulates that the state will not fund rehabilitation. They’ll give those few who test positive for marijuana use (because that’s probably the drug that’s going to show up) a list a facilities available (probably sponsored by churches) and send them and their hungry children on their way out the door. Not one of our leaders is talking about drugs as a healthcare issue.
Those are a lot of words too, so I’ll sum it up. The people introducing this legislation could not give two shits about the health of the people of Oklahoma.

It makes sense that Republicans would oppose this legislation–it is a waste of money, an infringement on privacy, and an insult to Republican base, whose intelligence and compassion and charity these jokers obviously greatly underestimate. I am not surprised, but I’m glad you posted.

Comments from Facebook:

Debra OMalley likes this.

Josh Capps Technically, doesn’t any drug user create jobs just as long as we’re continuing to fund the War on Drugs? I mean, DEA agents gotta eat, no?

4 hours ago · Like · 3

Mamacita Burrus do drug dealers on govt paroll count?

4 hours ago · Like

Jed Fisher Agreed.

3 hours ago · Like

Dawn Bona ‎^Excellent points. Also, there is an underlying assumption that business owners are more worthy of privacy than poor people. This is a socio-economic prejudice. It is a civil rights issue. Does anyone know if the ACLU has chimed in on this legislation?

Dawn Bona Holy shit – I didn’t know that it has already been ruled as unconstitutional! ->”in 2003. The ACLU challenged the mandatory drug testing program as unconstitutional, arguing that drug testing of welfare recipients violates the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches. The case, Marchwinski v. Howard, concluded when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision striking down the policy as unconstitutional.[16]”

2 hours ago · Like · 1

Ruth Fisher Please check out Ohio Senate bill 201 they are lining kids up to check their BMI guess they want them to tame uppers so they will lose weight

2 hours ago · Like

Comments from Facebook

Jed Fisher I thought the idea was, drugs are bad and if you use them you’ll be a total failure and end up on welfare. Or is that not really the case?

Ruth Fisher Teri your message got lost in too many words, if poor people can afford drugs,cigarette,n cell phones, how poor are they? Its a healthcare issue because of the damage drugs do long and short term.

Teri McGrath There were a lot of words, I’ll grant you that.Ruth, while I agree that people who get food stamps should not be permitted to smoke or have cell phones, I must take exception to your suggestion that the people introducing this legislation are concerned with drug use as a “healthcare issue.” A healthcare issue would require our officials to think about ways of providing healthcare for the people of Oklahoma, and that is not happening. And Randy Bass’ legislation stipulates that the state will not fund rehabilitation. They’ll give those few who test positive for marijuana use (because that’s probably the drug that’s going to show up) a list a facilities available (probably sponsored by churches) and send them and their hungry children on their way out the door. Not one of our leaders is talking about drugs as a healthcare issue.Those are a lot of words too, so I’ll sum it up. The people introducing this legislation could not give two shits about the health of the people of Oklahoma.

Claudia Samuels Yes Dawn, it was. Florida should be a perfect example of why this is a complete waste of time and money. *Sigh*.. people and their blind hatred. It’s funny how people redirect your focus from who is REALLY robbing this country blind so you’ll focus on the poor:http://www.blog2.tshirt-doctor.com/?p=12672#more-12672

57 minutes ago ·

Lee Stark Claudia commented on this and brought it into my view. I do want to AGREE with you….and I am a…oh no…a REPUBLICAN for the most part. It is ridiculous for us to single out one group and deny them welfare due to drug use….and if we do so we should expect all who receive public funds the same random drug screening. The fact is this is not a health issue, it is a control issue. I understand the want to teach people fiscal responsibility and the logic of the testing, but not fully applying that logic to all public funding is hypocritical at best….and again….is about control not health.

Teri McGrath It makes sense that Republicans would oppose this legislation–it is a waste of money, an infringement on privacy, and an insult to Republican base, whose intelligence and compassion and charity these jokers obviously greatly underestimate. I am not surprised, but I’m glad you posted.